Volume 1 - CH 2.3

Chapter 2 – Lively Daily Changes (Final Part)

Another day after school.

I applied for permission to use the multipurpose room and waited for Kurusu.

It wasn't every day, but I often practiced conversation with Kurusu.

It was supposed to be a study session since we were borrowing a classroom, but in reality, I was teaching Kurusu about a variety of subjects.

"Kaburagi. Return the key as usual when you're done using it~"

"Thank you for your help. Thank you for everything! I can't always borrow the infirmary room, so thank you."

"Well, I'm a friend to students in trouble. But Kaburagi, no matter how versatile this room is, don't use it for other purposes, okay?"

"Please don't be vulgar. Even if you're a teacher, you shouldn't talk to your students like that."

"Hahaha!! I'm just kidding! I know you would never do such a thing. But feelings can change so quickly, so I just wanted to make sure."

"That's unnecessary worry. I know it's hard for me to say, but I'm an adult."

"Well..."

Then Sensei looked at me.

"Really? Well, then I wonder how you feel about love. As a student, you should be diligent not only in your studies, but also in your love life."

"Well, if I just study hard, I'll get married late, just like Sensei."

"Damn, did you just say something?"

"Yes, everything should be done patiently anyway..."

She looked at me angrily, as if she wanted to kill me, and I turned my face away. Then, as if to cover up the bad joke I had made, I decided to change the direction of the conversation.

"Seriously. Nothing is going to happen."

"Even if it does?"

"What are you talking about? Well, even if it did happen, I wouldn't take such a risky action myself. A love affair can only create a negative impression, so I'll avoid destroying what I've built just because of a momentary emotion."

"Aaah... what a disappointing guy..."

"No, no~. It's a fact that a person's love relationship can ruin their life. That's why I don't want to get carried away."

"You're so weird, you self-proclaimed popular guy!"

"Please don't praise me like that."

"............" (He really is an idiot who can't be saved)

Turning her eyes to me as if she was looking at someone unfortunate, the teacher sighed.

But she understood that there was no point in telling me, so she had no intention of saying anything more. She looked at her watch and walked out of the classroom.

When she put her hand on the door, she stopped and turned to look at me.

"Well, I'm going... umm"

"What's wrong? You look suspicious..."

"Don't have any 'strange intentions', okay? Promise?"

"You're really stubborn! "Don't push her" or anything, don't say that again."

Then Sensei left the classroom with a wave of his hand.

She turned her head sideways for a moment in the hallway, grinned wickedly, and walked away.

I sighed and shrugged.

Damn. I felt like I had finally lost.

Just as I felt defeated, Kurusu peeked out of the doorway.

It was exactly seventeen o'clock as usual. Just at the time we promised.

"Yo, Kurusu!"

As I greeted her, Kurusu displayed a screen with the word 【Hello】 on it and bowed to me.

Then she wiped the screen of her tablet and started writing what she wanted to say.

【Good friends】 (They talk like they're good friends. I'm jealous...)

"Hmm. Well, more or less. So how long has Kurusu been here?"

【Not long】

"That's good..."

So she heard the joke that Sensei told her, right?

Kurusu is a very serious, stubborn, and rigid person.

I don't want her to take it too seriously──.

【What's a candy tree? 】 (...Lots of chocolates and such) [TN: Strange intention (おかしな気) and Candy tree (お菓子な木) have the same spelling 'okashina ki']

"Ah yes... I thought there were lots of candies and chocolates..."

【I want some】 (...But I'll get fat if I eat too much)

"Yup... Hahahaha"

I laughed and lied to her.

I didn't know what it was. And it wasn't a misunderstanding, but I felt guilty as if I had deceived a child...

No, I knew that if I saw Kurusu in her normal life, she wouldn't understand what Sensei was saying. Ignorance and innocence will only lead to worry, right?

【Progress in conversation】 (I think it's getting smoother than before)

"Oh. You're already doing better than before, compared to when you went overboard with your words. Now I hope you can coordinate your gestures better so that it can help your communication. You'll make progress again. Trust me."

(I'm glad...)

She looked relieved and let out a frustrated sigh.

Then she clenched her fists as if excited.

...It's only a little, but it's better, right?

Kurusu had been practicing with me and had come to check a series of conversational sentences that had been prepared beforehand.

Although limited to frequently used words such as "yes" or "no," the conversation has become smoother than ever since we started discussing effective ways to use them.

In the past, she had to work very hard to write her response after someone had spoken to her, so there was definitely a time lag in her conversation.

When she has to respond quickly, she tends to use short words like "agree," which sometimes makes it difficult for the other party to understand the real meaning of her message. I knew Kurusu's desire to be able to speak, so I tried to give her advice after we started communicating.

It was as simple as "Prepare the most frequently used words in advance" and "Include supportive body gestures".

She embraced my advice and practice with open arms. And we had just started, so it was still a little awkward...

I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was sure I would find something that would help her.

However, I had a problem with her.

【Master, please!】 (Let's practice hard... ei o ei o... hehe)

And, well, she accepted me too easily.

I know she really relied on me without any ulterior motive, and I wanted to help her.

But I think she's too loyal to me.

I think she likes me too much, or is too dependent, or... trusts me too easily.

I know she's honest, so her cute direct attacks on me are still alive and well.

But come to think of it, why did she listen to everything I said?

Well...I don't know, so I'm going to ask her. Even if she doesn't tell me, I know what she's thinking.

"Before we start practicing, I have a question I want to ask Kurusu, okay?"

(...You have something you want to ask me? I want you to ask me because it rarely happens)

Kurusu nodded repeatedly, as if she wanted me to ask her more and more.

She held my hand and her eyes were shining.

Is that how much you want me to ask you?

"I was wondering. Isn't Kurusu too trusting?"

【Is that bad】

"Well, it's not all bad. I just thought you really accepted everything. Don't you wonder? When we were practicing, did you ever think, "What's the point of this?" or "This makes no sense!"?"

【No】 (...I was able to become better than before since you taught me. I was able to answer correctly for the first time in class. So it's definitely paying off)

"Is that so... Well, if it's really fruitful, that's good for me. I think it's okay to look at things with a little more skepticism. A lot of people will stab you in the back and it's also good to have some different perspectives."

【No need】

"Eh──..."

She immediately denied what I said and I could only laugh.

Even though I was the one who helped her, I don't think she has to accept what I told her one hundred percent.

There is no right answer to how to deal with others, so she can practice things she can only understand and take the rest to heart for what I told her.

Forcing herself to do something she doesn't understand or can't express will only make her feel uncomfortable, and such behavior will most likely make others feel uncomfortable as well.

However, Kurusu tries to practice everything I teach her, so lately I've been trying to use only things that are easy to understand, which will make Kurusu's communication better.

I'm worried that she trusts me too much and is too honest when it hasn't been long since we started communicating...

That's why I give her advice like the one I just gave her...

I looked at Kurusu's face.

Her eyes were shining, waiting for me to speak.

──She's very bright today, too.

She doesn't even know what I'm thinking.

"Kurusu, can you trust a guy like me who suddenly starts talking to you?"

【Yes】

"You nodded very strongly... But normally, you should be a little more skeptical. Men are full of ulterior motives, and an honest and gullible type like Kurusu has so many loopholes that it worries me."

【No problem】 (I'm sure Kaburagi-kun isn't a bad guy)

"No, no. It's okay for you to be a little suspicious. You've only been with me for a while, haven't you? Isn't it a little too soon?"

【No problem】 (...Everyone gets along with you quickly too, so this is also normal)

"That's not my real friend─...no, it's nothing. Well, you're right..."

Well, I understand what Kurusu means.

Some people exude friendliness by saying "yay" as soon as they meet someone.

But behind their hearts, they might be worried about the temperature difference between themselves and the other person, or they might be worried about "I wonder if I can handle this flirt?", or "If I'm in this group, will I feel comfortable?" and worrying about where they should stand in it... everyone is thinking about something when they interact with each other.

So what Kurusu saw was nothing more than a 'stomach fight' scene. [TN: In Japan it was once believed that the heart and soul were in the stomach. So 'stomach fight' is when people try to find out each other's true thoughts and intentions]

But for Kurusu, she probably wanted to talk to people in such a friendly way right away.

And we're just talking about the first encounter with the same sex...

Kurusu is a very beautiful girl, so I hope she'll be careful with the opposite sex.

I guess that's why I had a stern expression on my face because I was thinking about that.

Kurusu's expression became slightly clouded with worry.

"It's okay. Anyway, just be careful. With a lot of things around you."

【I’ll be careful】

"That's the attitude you need. Kurusu has an attractive appearance, so a little more caution would be important..."

【Wait】 (I have to write this down)

"Hm?"

Kurusu hurriedly wrote down what she wanted to say on her tablet.

She probably thought she couldn't communicate with just short words this time.

【I don't speak. So only a very good person would get involved with an annoying person like me and be willing to respond to me repeatedly. I am a 'landmine woman'.】 (Others say I'm like a doll. I've heard from them that I'm scary, or they don't know what I'll do to them...) [TN: 'Landmine woman' mean a woman who looks normal on the outside, but turns out to have a lot of problems after she communicates. Just like a landmine, you don't know if it's going to explode until you step on it]

Kurusu showed me the screen of her tablet, hiding her face.

It turns out that what others say to her is more cruel than I thought...

When I think about it, I'm surprised that she's still not discouraged.

But you know...

"Isn't it sad to call yourself a 'landmine woman'...?"

(Indeed...)

Kurusu rolled her eyes and then held her head.

I think she was sad because she felt that she was a landmine.

But Kurusu quickly recovered and showed the screen again.

【But I know Kaburagi-kun is a nice guy】

"Not really"

(And obviously gentle)

I flinched when she approached me.

I'm usually very good at letting things go, so why didn't it go well this time?

I was the one teaching her, but I felt like I was forced to practice a lot of things, probably because I was forced to practice my own mind.

I sighed and shrugged.

"Well, that's it, it can't be helped. Then let's continue practicing smiling today! Let's fix the expression that Kurusu isn't used to."

【Yes】

"We will practice smiling naturally by lifting the corners of our mouths and saying, "I like whiskey" (TN: In Japanese, Uisuki daisuki). You can practice smiling by making an "i" sound with your mouth..."

(Uisuki─...)

Yes, yes. Like that, try it slowly.

(Daisuki...)

I started this exercise to make her smile.

We've been doing it every day and I've gotten used to seeing it.

But just now, the smile she made was the brightest I've ever seen.

【How was it?】 (Did I do well?)

"Oh, yes. You're getting better at this practice. If you can make that smile all the time... I think that would be perfect."

【Good to hear that】 (...Hehe...I got a compliment)

Hearing her inner voice, I fanned my cheeks that were starting to burn with my hands.

Kurusu was full of 'gap' and honest.

As usual, practicing with her was really...bad for my heart.